Pumpkin Bread-Half Moon Bay Style

I stumbled across this recipe and had to include it because when I lived in the Bay Area, it was always a tradition to go to Half Moon Bay to pick out our pumpkins. I make a pumpkin bread that is similar to this recipe and it is gone before I can try some-its that good! I like to add additional ingredients in some-one or two loaves…cranberries, currants, pecans, walnuts, and chocolate chips. I also use a full tablespoon of cinnamon and nutmeg and add ½ teaspoon of cloves. Try and make it organic by using all organic ingredients! Let us know how what you think!

Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Bread - Half Moon Bay, CA. Bake-off Winner
Makes 3 loaves

3 c Sugar, granulated
3 1/2 c Flour, all-purpose
1/2 t Salt
2 t Baking soda
1 t Cinnamon
1 t Nutmeg
4 lg. Eggs
1 c Vegetable oil
2 c Pumpkin (cooked)
2/3 c Water
1 1/2 c Walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter your containers well. Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the eggs, oil, pumpkin and water. Beat thoroughly. It's easier to get all the lumps out if you use an electric mixer. Stir in the walnuts with a wooden spoon.

Pour the batter into the containers, filling each only half to two-thirds full. Bake for 60-90 minutes, depending on the sizes of your containers. If you're using a very small container, start checking much sooner. The bread is done when a toothpick in the middle comes out clean. Cool about ten minutes, then loosen the edges of the bread with a knife, and turn out of the pans to cool the rest of the way on a rack. For baking containers, you can use a loaf pan, metal cans, or whatever. If you use 1-pound coffee cans, it takes three of them. For tiny loaves, use soup cans or mini loaf pans.

Roasted Cauliflower

Now that Fall is here, I am happy to turn my oven on since it's getting colder! Roasted Cauliflower is one of my favorite things to make during the Fall and Winter season. It's easy and delicious! My dad shared this recipe with me a couple years ago and I made it for the family I nannied for weekly-and they loved it too! Here's how you make it:

1. Take a head of cauliflower, wash and remove the stem.
2. Slice the cauliflower long-wise in ¼ inch slices
3. Arrange on a lightly greased cookie sheet, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Bake in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes till the edges are golden brown.

Pangea Organics-Ecocentric Bodycare

What makes this product even more unique than the organic product itself IS the package design. The boxes that all of pangea products boxed in are made from recycled paper and laced with organic seeds that go in the ground and grow, so there is no waste! Packages come in either sweet basil or amaranth varieties. There are easy directions to follow-soak the empty package in water for a few minutes before planting in the soil-pot or ground.

Pumpkin Fest for Bay Area Locals

Pumpkins a plenty! Its time again for Half Moon Bay’s 38th Annual Art and Pumpkin Festival. Half Moon Bay is also known as the World Pumpkin Capital! The Festival kicks off with the Great Pumpkin Parade and special guests, the San Francisco Giants! The streets of Main are filled with activities for the kids, adults, and families. Take a tour in the Haunted House, taste the different local micro brew and wines, stroll through the streets to admire the artwork, and enjoy some home-made pumpkin pies! In efforts to support the ‘green’ lifestyle, there will be more awareness of recycling during the festival that will take place on the weekend of October 18-19, 2008. For more information on the green take of the festival, log onto www.miramarevents.com/pumpkinfest/goinggreen.html.

My Favorite Pumpkin Pie Recipe

When I visit the grocery stores these days, I have noticed they have pumpkins! I get really excited cause really, this is the only time my family and I make my favorite pumpkin pie...and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share it all with you! I hope you all will enjoy this as much as I do!

For the Crust, You will Need:

1/4 Cup Melted Butter
1 1/4 Cups Crushed Gingersnap Cookies

Mix those together and press into a 9-inch pie pan and bake for 10 minutes at 325º.

For the Filling, You will Need:
Blend 1 Tablespoon Gelatin with 1/4 Cup Cold Water and set aside.

Mix Together in a Saucepan:
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Allspice
1 1/3 Cups Mashed Cooked Pumpkin
3 Large Egg Yolks
1/2 Cup Milk

Meringue:
3 Large Egg Whites
1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
6 Tablespoons Sugar

Cook over low heat stirring until the mixture boils. Boil 1 minute. remove from heat. Stir in the gelatin. Cool. When partially set, beat until smooth. Carefully fold in the meringue. Pile into the ginger cookie crust. Chill until set, about 2 hours. Garnish with fresh whipped cream.

Buying Organic in Bulk

Organic is getting easier to find and purchase, and in BULK! Costco offers a large variety of organic products ranging from your typical organic soy milks and milks to coffees, frozen meats, fruits, and veggies…even shampoo and conditioners! For a complete list of organic items, please feel free to contact your local Costco for a detail item list.

A Bag of Green

A great way to inspire those to loose the plastic is to give them a canvas bag for all those groceries or simply to run errands around town with! Paper-Source.com has a great bag to offer that is made from biodegradable cotton canvas and printed with environmentally safe inks as well. To purchase or want more information, simply log onto www.paper-source.com!